Seaweed, Matcha, toffee: new nougat Christmas flavours

Noori seaweed, matcha tea, toffee of all kinds…these are some of the new nougat flavours released for the holiday season by the Torrons Vicens sweet company. Meanwhile, other firms like Torrons Alemany are sticking with the “classic” well-loved version of the delicacy, the white-colored imperial hard nougat, awarded two-stars at the Great Taste Awards.

Molecular gastronomy meets Asia

Torrons Vicens’ new flavours are a “radical change,” one that nougat-maker Alber Lluch praised very highly indeed. And two of their novelties, while elaborated with the help of renowned world-class Catalan chef Albert Adrià, are inspired by Japan. One is made with sesame seed and seaweed praline, while the other is prepared with Matcha tea praline and yuzu gumdrops.

The eastern-inspired flavor is no accident – nor is it that much of a gamble. Lluch explained that the company is pushing exports to Asia, which is also one of their “strongest” markets, one which also demands “personalized products aimed at their market.” Torrons Vicens has opened seats in both Korea and Japan.

The other four new additions by the company are exclusive creations by master nougat-maker Àngel Velasco, and they all revolve around toffee, mixed with pistachios, pine nuts, or Marcona almonds. There’s even a variety that transforms the almond-toffee mixture into a soufflé.

The classic flavor

Another large company, Torrons Alemany, is choosing a more classic variety for their holidays: the white-colored imperial hard nougat. This is a classic for the firm, family-run for five generations, which this year also received two stars from the so-called gourmet food Oscars: the Great Taste Awards. They’re planning on releasing some 70 tons of nougat this season.

Nougat, a confection made from sugar or honey, nuts, whipped egg whites, gets its name from the Occitan word – a language not too dissimilar to Catalan – ‘pan nogat,’ roughly translated as ‘nut bread.’  Every year, the sweet is celebrated at the Agramunt Nougat fair dedicated to the delicacy – next year it will have been held for over 3 decades.